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From a recently published book on Kpop titled K-pop: Mesmerizing the World (People Who Make K-pop) written by Boda webzine editor Kim Hak Seon:

About the book:

What a timely subject. With the ongoing popularity of K-pop music, fans
or even just non-fans might have wondered once where the roots of it all
came from.

The author, who has covered popular Korean music for various media
outlets, sees the foundation from 1970s Korean music. There were such
unexpected gifted musicians as Han Dae-soo, a singer-songwriter who
introduced folk music to the public, Shin Joong-hyun, also a singer-song
writer and a rock guitarist and Sanwoolim, a trio of brothers who
popularized their version of rock music.

The music and the work these musicians produced gave way to slew of
popular singers in 1980s including legendary Cho Yong-pil, and Korea’s
Madonna Kim Wan-seon. The ‘80s musicians pass the baton onto Shin
Seung-hoon and Seo Taiji and the Boys in the 1990s and BoA and TVXQ in
the 2000s.

The writer notes how fan culture first sprouted with the 1970s
musicians, that Kim Wan-seon was one of the first “idol” stars who spent
many years preparing before her debut, a career path taken by so many
of present stars including BoA and TVXQ.

“K-pop and Idol” (opening chapter)

The ten best “idol” albums selected, among them Solar:

- Taeyang Solar (2010)
Solar is the first full-length album by Taeyang, who had, two years
earlier, done something rare for an idol group member. With his Hot EP,
he had broken through and caught not only the attention of fans, but the
attention of critics as well. This full-length album thoroughly
satisfied those expectations. In addition to getting the usual support
from YG family members like Teddy and Kush, Taeyang expanded his breadth
of expression by collaborating with musicians like Jeon Gun and Swings,
who are mostly active in the underground scene. And by personally
composing a great song like Take It Slow, Taeyang took another step
closer to his dream.

The book then takes a look at each decade from 1970 onwards, introducing the most relevant songs and then presenting a selection of the 20 top albums from each decade.

2000-2010

14 songs were introduced from 2000-2010, one of them being BIGBANG’s “Lies.”

- BIGBANG Lies (2007) (Taeyang excerpt only for now. We will update with the full text about BIGBANG once available):

Taeyang was the first [member] to make a name for himself as a solo
artist. He established his own musical world with RnB music at its core,
the music he had studied and practiced for so long. The two albums he
released were well received by not only the BIGBANG fandom, but also by
critics. He has positioned himself as not just a member of BIGBANG, but
as a commanding presence [literally, axis] in the Korean RnB scene.

Note: The majority of the songs introduced in this chapter
are mainstream (major label) songs that helped spread K-pop
internationally – Tell Me, Hug, Gee, Number 1, 10 Minute, How to Avoid
the Sun, etc.. The exceptions were from Garion, Huckleberry Finn and
Jang Gi Ha.

Taeyang, Hot (2008)
Taeyang is an unusual idol singer who has long known what he wants to do
and what he can do best and has never stopped working [toward that
vision]. As a result, Hot is a “prepared” album. And Taeyang had superb
assistance behind him. YG Entertainment, Teddy included, understood and
produced precisely the kind of music Taeyang wanted, and Taeyang dressed
that music with his unique voice. The expectations that began with Hot
changed to conviction with the full-length album Solar.